In order to prevent the paper sheets from being wound around the winding roller, unevenly, in substantially the same position, the paper-sheet storing/feeding machine includes at least one tape, a winding roller, to which one end of the tape is attached, and which is configured to wind and rewind the paper sheets together with the tape, a reel, to which the other end of the tape is attached, and which is configured to wind and rewind the tape relative to the winding roller, a driving source configured to rotate the winding roller, a sensor configured to detect each paper sheet transported thereto, and, a control unit configured to implement a control, each time the transported paper sheet is detected, in which the driving source is controlled to decelerate the winding roller after accelerating the winding roller in a winding direction with the detection of the transported paper sheet by the sensor, and configured to control the driving source, in order to change the length of the tape used for storing one paper sheet, thereby to control a storing pitch of the stored paper sheets to be any one of at least two kinds of storing pitches, when storing the transported paper sheet.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A paper-sheet storing/feeding machine configured to store therein paper sheets, one by one, that are transported thereto, one by one, whereupon the stored paper sheets are fed out therefrom to the exterior, one by one, comprising: at least one tape; a winding roller, to which one end of the tape is attached, and which is configured to wind and rewind the paper sheets together with the tape; a reel, to which the other end of the tape is attached, and which is configured to wind and rewind the tape relative to the winding roller; a driving source configured to rotate the winding roller; a sensor configured to detect each paper sheet transported thereto; and a control unit configured to implement a control, each time the transported paper sheet is detected, in which the driving source is controlled to accelerate the winding roller in a winding direction, and decelerate the winding roller after the paper sheet is wound around the winding roller with a tape-winding speed of the winding roller being controlled to be substantially the same as a transport speed of the paper sheet, and configured to control the driving source, in order to change the length of the tape used for storing one paper sheet, thereby to control a storing pitch of the stored paper sheets to be any one of at least two kinds of storing pitches which are larger than a length of each paper sheet, when storing the transported paper sheet.
2. The paper-sheet storing/feeding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the storing pitch includes a first storing pitch and a second storing pitch, and the control unit switches the storing pitch from the first storing pitch to the second storing pitch, when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
3. The paper-sheet storing/feeding machine according to claim 2 , wherein the storing pitch is switched, under the predetermined condition that one paper sheet stored later is stored around the winding roller in substantially the same position as another paper sheet stored previously, and is overlapped with the paper sheet stored previously.
4. The paper-sheet storing/feeding machine according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined condition is that the outer-circumferential length of the winding roller including the paper sheets and tape respectively wound around the winding roller is in a range that is predetermined based on the length corresponding to an integral multiple of the first storing pitch.
5. The paper-sheet storing/feeding machine according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit judges whether or not the outer-circumferential length of the winding roller is in the predetermined range, based on the number of the paper sheets wound per rotation of the winding roller.
6. The paper-sheet storing/feeding machine according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit judges whether or not the outer-circumferential length of the winding roller is in the predetermined range, based on a relationship that is obtained, in advance, between the number of the paper sheets wound around the winding roller and the judgment result on whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied, as well as based on the number of the paper sheets actually wound around the winding roller.
7. The paper-sheet storing/feeding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the storing pitch by controlling at least one of a winding length of a part of the tape corresponding to a part of the interval between one paper sheet and another paper sheet that is stored before the one paper sheet, and the winding length of another part of the tape corresponding to another part of the interval between the one paper sheet and still another paper sheet that is stored after the one paper sheet, among the length of the tape used for winding the one paper sheet.
8. A paper-sheet handling machine comprising the paper-sheet storing/feeding machine according to claim 1 .
9. A method for storing paper sheets, the method using a paper-sheet storing/feeding machine including: at least one tape; a winding roller, to which one end of the tape is attached, and which is configured to wind and rewind the paper sheets, one by one, together with the tape; a reel, to which the other end of the tape is attached, and which is configured to wind and rewind the tape relative to the winding roller; a driving source configured to rotate the winding roller; and a sensor configured to detect each paper sheet transported thereto, wherein the method comprises: detecting each paper sheet by using the sensor; accelerating the winding roller in a winding direction by using the driving source; winding the paper sheet around the winding roller with a tape-winding speed of the winding roller being controlled to be substantially the same as a transport speed of the paper sheet; decelerating the winding roller in the winding direction by using the driving source; and changing the length of the tape used for storing one paper sheet in order to allow the paper sheets to be stored with any one of at least two kinds of storing pitches which are larger than a length of each paper sheet.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 7, 2010
May 17, 2016
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